Aanestad authors several bills, including fishing relief

March 15, 2007 12:00 am

Triplicate staff

Sen. Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) has authored 10 bills for the 2007-08 legislative session that span a number of policy areas. They include:

Senate Bill 1018 would give relief to the Northcoast salmon fishing industry in the form of emergency loans to the counties hard hit by a federal decision to severely restrict salmon fishing on the West Coast. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is backing the bill.

SB 133 is one of two measures intended to benefit schools by providing short-term loan funding to the facilities and their districts in place of the expired funding they were receiving. Its companion bill, SB 345, seeks to help charter schools by providing flexibility with teacher payment schedules. It would also allow charters to seek waivers from state regulations.

SB4 449 addresses the concerns of victims of certain sex offenses. Victims of sexual predators are not identified, but there are some exceptions such as incest or continuous sexual abuse of a child. Aanestad has also authored SB 402, which would provide incentives to volunteer firefighters, who normally staff rural areas where paid firefighters are nonexistent or exist only in small numbers.

SB 630, for which Aanestad is acting as primary author, is a bill sponsored by California Department of Veterans Affairs. It will lead to new financing for veterans homes in Redding and Fresno. The bill furnishes for the financing legislation, which is required because of a bid that came in $30 million over the department's estimates for a home in West Los Angeles.

SB 383, one of four measures that focus on health care reforms, would provide income tax credits for health care providers who help uninsured patients. SB 438 would increase MediCal reimbursement rates for providers. SB 238 would increase the efficiency of federally qualified health centers and regional health centers, and SB 969 would encourage out-of-state transfers by removing barriers for temporary licensure. It is backed by the California Veterinary Medical Association.